Banana Pear Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips

Banana Pear Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips is a lovely banana quick bread made with one Bosc pear. You could adjust the flour to add more or less whole wheat according to your taste. Let it cool down before taking that first slice. Perfect for an afternoon coffee or tea break!

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When I have a few ripe bananas on the counter and a pear that needs using, I make this pear banana bread. It's one of those simple recipes that comes together in about 10 minutes, and the result is a soft, tender loaf that's perfect with coffee or tea.

The combination of banana and pear works beautifully here. The bananas add sweetness and moisture, while chunks of pear bake into the bread and give it little pockets of soft fruit. If you're looking for easy pear bread recipes or creative banana pear recipes, this loaf is one I make again and again.

Why Banana and Pear Bread Works So Well

I love classic banana bread, but adding pear gives it a lighter texture and a slightly delicate sweetness. The fruit combination creates a loaf that sits somewhere between banana and pear cake and a traditional quick bread.

A few reasons this banana pear bread recipe works so well:

• Very ripe bananas keep the bread moist
• Bosc pear chunks soften as they bake into the batter
• Chocolate chips add richness and balance the fruit
• Sour cream gives the loaf a tender crumb

It's one of my favorite banana and pear recipes because it's simple, reliable, and always disappears quickly once sliced.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour (I sometimes replace ½ cup with whole wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3-4 very ripe bananas)
• 1 Bosc pear, peeled and cut into small chunks
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons sour cream (or Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt)

How to Make Banana Pear Bread

1. Prepare the pan

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter a 23 × 13 cm loaf pan or line it with parchment paper and spray lightly.

2. Mash the bananas

In a bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth.

3. Mix the wet ingredients

Add the egg, sugar, and vegetable oil to the bananas and stir well to combine.

4. Combine dry ingredients

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

5. Make the batter

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Stir gently until combined, then mix in the sour cream or yogurt.

6. Fold in the fruit

Fold in the pear chunks and chocolate chips.

7. Bake

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Cool

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

My Best Tips for the Perfect Pear Banana Bread

• Use very ripe bananas. The darker the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the bread will be.
• Cut the pear into small pieces. Smaller chunks distribute better through the loaf.
• Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing can make quick breads dense instead of soft.
• Let it cool completely. This step helps the bread set and makes slicing much easier.

Variations to Try

Once you make this loaf once, you can easily adjust it:

• Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon for a warm banana spice bread flavor
• Replace chocolate chips with walnuts or pecans
• Swap half the flour with whole wheat flour
• Bake the batter in muffin tins for banana and pear muffins

You can also skip the chocolate chips if you want something closer to a classic pear and banana bread or pear banana cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Banana Pear Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips

Banana breads are so easy to put together and can be made in so many different ways! I'm always buying extra bananas just to ensure I have some left to bake a banana bread. My kids love to have a slice warm right out of the oven for a treat and it's so perfect for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee. For the apple lovers: try this Apple Banana Bread!

For this banana bread, I added a lovely ripe Bosc pear I had on hand and a handful of dark chocolate chips. You could add whatever type of chocolate chips you prefer. This bread is moist and fragrant from the lovely ripe bananas and the gorgeous pear. It was difficult to wait for it to cool down and slice that first beautiful slice!

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5 from 5 vote

Banana Pear Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips

A lovely quick bread made with bananas and one Bosc pear. You could adjust the flour to add more or less whole wheat according to your taste. Let it cool down before taking that first slice. Perfect for an afternoon coffee or tea break!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana, chocolate chips, pear, quick bread

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 159kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

• loaf pan

Ingredients

• 1½ cups of flour I sometimes add ½ whole wheat and no one knows the difference
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup mashed bananas about 3-4 very ripe
• 1 bosc pear peeled and cut into chunks
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons of sour cream you could sub Greek yogurt, or dairy-free yogurt

Instructions

• Butter a 9x5 loaf pan. You could also line with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Mash the bananas in a bowl.
• Mix the egg with the sugar and oil and stir into the bananas.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sea salt (regular salt is fine too), baking soda.
• Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Stir in the sour cream (or yogurt), Be sure to stir bottom and sides of bowl to combine it all.
• Fold in the pear pieces and the chocolate chips.
• Spoon the ingredients into your prepped baking pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then gently remove onto a wire rack to thoroughly cool.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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